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If you were a dog, what dog would you be?

A friend sent me a link to an online quiz that is supposed to calculate, based on your answers about your temperament and features, what breed of canine you're most similar to. I thought, that's great! I always thought of myself as a Labrador retriever (although I'm not sure I ever actually saw myself as a "dog" until yesterday...and that brings up a whole other subject about how I don't appreciate being referred to as a dog...but I'll drop it for now). Labs are friendly, love kids, are eager to please, and if they don't have enough exercise, have a tendency to put on a few extra pounds. I can relate.

However, once I answered the questions about what kind of work I do, what kind of qualities describe me, and so on, the quiz calculator did its magic. And it determined I am a basenji.

A basenji? I'm not a basenji. Couldn't be. I didn't know much about the breed except that they can seem aloof and they are known for having no doggie odor. Now, I used to be rather shy and people might have thought I was aloof, but I certainly have never smelled like a dog. So maybe the test was on to something.

I had to read more about the basenji. So I checked out the Basenji Companions web site. This was the site's description of the breed known as "the barkless dog from Africa"...

"Typically, Basenjis adore people. Most Basenjis love to be petted, to be hugged, and to be with you. They are wonderful companions and love to be loved. If raised with them, they will follow children anywhere. (Like children, however, Basenjis can also be very demanding of your time and attention.) They are comical, quizzical, highly intelligent and full of energy. It is hard to be depressed around a Basenji—-they have such zest for life. They seem to feel that each new day brings a new challenge, something new to see and explore (even if they have seen and explored it yesterday...) If Basenjis were Irish, they’d probably be leprechauns. Basenjis smell your breath and your clothes every time you come in for clues as to what you've been eating, where you have been, and what you have been up to. Every time you come in the door they greet you with great joy as if they hadn’t seen you for months."


Wow! That sounds like a wonderful description of me, or who I'd like to aspire to be.

However, there was one bit of the description that I don't think quite fits me.
"Known as 'the barkless dog from Africa,' they are silent most of the time."


Everyone I've shared that part with immediately guffawed.

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